Find out how the lyrics to Julia By came to be written.

Beatles Album: The Beatles AKA The White Album : Track 17

Year: 1968

Lyrics: Lennon, McCartney

Length: 2.57

The lyrics of the Beatles song Julia were written by John Lennon and the song is a direct contribution to his mother of the same name. It is another of the songs on the 'white album' that started its life during the Beatles time at Rishikesh in India.

Although John was looked after by his aunt Mimi, it was not because Julia did not love him, but because she had become pregnant with john by another man than her husband. While he was young Julia introduced John to musical instruments and to rock 'n' roll music. Sadly Julia died in a car crash in 1958, and the death of his mother affected John forever.

Also the song is predominantly about his mother the Beatles Julia song also references John's new love Yoko Ono who's name means ocean child in Japanese.

Although John is credited with the writing of Julia, many of the lyrics were written by Yoko and the the first two lines of the song 'half of what I say is meaningless' and 'but I say it so the other half may reach you' are from a book of Lebanese proverbs by Kahil Gibran.